Annabella's Oblivion (Hard World Tour #1) (48 page)

“
Yes, I was two months pregnant and, well, here he is.”

“
Did he know about it? That he would be a dad?” A soft smile touched her lips and her eyes became glossy.

“
I told him the day before. He wanted to tell you after the concert.” That would explain why he was so eager to see me and called me several times. Then I noticed something else; the ring on her ring finger. It was beautiful and exactly the same as the one Nick had for her.

“
He proposed?”

She looked up at me and caught her breath. “No, I found it in the drawer with a written speech. Can you imagine?” We both chuckled because it was something he would have done. “I would have said yes, so I decided to wear it. It’s perfect,” she whispered, and I squeezed her hand with my free one.

“
Yeah,” my fingers softly caressed his cheek. “What’s his name?”

“
Mathew Hastings.”

“
Nick’s middle name?”

“
I think it suits him, don’t you?”

“
Yeah.” There wasn’t much else to say. We both kept watching him while she continued.

“
I moved here because it’s home and my family is here. They help me out, and I always preferred the quiet life.”

Yeah, she probably had all of them while I was busy getting high and then trying to free myself from this addiction. She must have read my mind because she just shook her head.

“
We were both hurt. I just had a reason to live. I really don’t know how I would have handled it if it wasn’t for my baby boy.” She leaned down, giving the baby a gentle kiss on his forehead, and ran her hand over his head. “He was more important than my grieving. My second biggest love in the world.”

Nick was her first, and she had his baby. She had a part of him, and now I would have a part of him with me, too.

Life sometimes could give you the most unexpected gifts.

“
Was he happy?” Nick wanted kids, but it was hard to guess his reaction.

“
Yeah.”

“
Good.”

As we stood there in the quiet of the house and with an almost sleeping baby, I thought this was living proof that life moved on, it never stopped at one place.

There was pain, and love, and millions of different emotions, but that was the definition of life.

And I couldn’t hide or run from it anymore.

I pushed away the man I love because I wanted to protect myself. I did it twice.

I needed to get him back.

I just prayed like hell he would want me after the rejection and pain I’d brought to him. “I have to do something.” Megan chuckled and took her home phone from the bedside table, handing it to me.

“
Get your guy back, baby girl. I always liked him, by the way.”

Ryan

New York was beautiful and mesmerizing at night. All the lights, the people, and the skyscrapers. There was no other city like it in the world, and the view was especially amazing from my penthouse.

After three glasses of whiskey, it looked even better. I wondered for the hundredth time why in the hell I wanted to have a ranch back home. Why was it important to me?

A ranch where the love of my life was staying right now and wanted nothing to do with me.

It had been three days since I left the ranch and came here on my private plane. Three long days filled with headaches, longing, and anger. Only work distracted me, and I made sure to lose myself in it.

However, there was no distraction at home except for whiskey, but I gladly took the oblivion it provided.

I wondered how she was doing and how she was feeling. I didn’t want her to be distressed before her big tour.

How did she feel about Mathew?

I clenched my hand in a tight fist and put it above my head as I leaned on the window.

During these three days, I considered many times to fuck it all and go after her, to make her see we were made for each other.

That the spark and everything else was there.

But then I couldn’t do it because her words haunted me.

I never loved you, Ryan

As Nate, I could make her burn and even convince her to be with me, but I couldn’t be with her when she didn’t accept the man I was.

When she couldn’t love the man I was.

The situation was doomed, and it was more painful than it was the last time.

At least I still had my pride. I didn’t beg. Not that it was making me feel better.

I poured myself another glass and was about to drink it when the familiar noise of the elevator hit me and I looked in the direction of it, frowning, because who the fuck felt the need to see me?

The security had specific instruction that no one was to bother me, yet they allowed someone to come up here.

I was going to fucking fire everyone.

Finally, the door opened and none other than my father entered the room.

He was tall, broad shouldered, and wore jeans and a polo shirt. His gray hair was neat. His ice-blue eyes, same as mine, studied me from head to toe as he just shook his head.

“
Sit, son.” He pointed to the bar table and sat himself. I could do nothing else but oblige.

Donald Jackson had this aura of presence that commanded you to do as he pleased. I sat down opposite him and waited for what he had to say. I remembered the first time I saw him in my life and how taken aback I was by the man. He gripped my shoulder and let me know that from now on, I had a dad.

And he was a perfect dad ever since.

It didn’t mean he couldn’t make you fix your shit when he saw fit, and I knew he came to give me a lecture. He never liked my penthouse and came here only on rare occasions.

“
You know, son, I was born into this privileged life. I had everything my heart desired and never had to work much for it. I didn’t exactly love the hotel business, but it was something I was supposed to do, so I learned how to do it. Then I met Amanda; she was the daughter of my dad’s old friend. Everything was going perfectly well and we got engaged.” To be honest, that was the last thing I expected to hear from him. He never spoke about his past life or Drake’s mother, for that matter. It was almost a taboo subject in our house. “Anyway, the guys decided to get me away from New York to unwind before the marriage, to relax. And who wouldn’t want that, right? So, because of a storm, we ended up in this small city in Texas. I thought all our plans went to hell. But then I saw her. She was walking down the street, desperately trying to shield herself with her umbrella, but her dress was soaking wet anyway. She was beautiful. Long, black hair, the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen, and she looked adorable when she tried to use her parasol. It was like all the oxygen I needed was gone and, without thinking, I was there with her. That was how I met your mother.” My jaw hit the barstool I was sure, because my old man never spoke in such a romantic manner, let alone rehash his first encounter with Mom. Shit, was he interested in going on about how he fell in love with her? Because there were some details that a guy just didn’t want to know about his mom.

Like, ever.

“
Listen, Dad, I don’t really know why all of a sudden you decided to share, but I don’t need to know how you wanted Mo—” He interrupted me without letting me finish my words.

“
I invited her to dinner, and then I couldn’t imagine my life without her. Amanda, my dad, my life in New York—none of that didn’t matter to me. I was ready to leave it all behind. I was honest with your mom. I let her know I needed to go back to cancel everything and then we would marry. I still remember our kiss on the porch of her house. For some reason, I didn’t want to let go of her, as if I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold her again for a long time.” His voice became harsh, slightly raspy, and he cleared his throat. “I came back and was about to call everything off when Amanda told me she was pregnant.” His fists clenched. “I felt like the rug went out from under me and the whole world fell apart. I couldn’t be with the woman I loved because I had a child on the way. It was a hard choice, but I made it. I had to. I didn’t want your mom to wait on me. To live on hope or keep her as a mistress. So I told her I never loved her and it was all a game to me. I had no idea she had you.” He stood up and slowly went to the same spot I occupied before he ordered me around. “I can’t say I regret it. How could I? I love my son. I can’t regret him being on this earth. My marriage to Amanda was awful. I couldn’t give her what she wanted, and at some point, she gave up and we divorced. She was a good mom to Drake and didn’t make him hate me, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.” He spun around and gave me a hard stare. “I went to your mom and found her in the poor conditions she lived in, and there was nothing that could have separated us anymore. I found out about you, about everything. Our way to a happy ending was rocky, but we got there, and now I have two sons that I’m proud of. Even though both of them are idiots,” he finished.

My head was about to explode from all the information he just blurted out to me, so I decided to concentrate on the last bit.

“
Why are we idiots? You just said you are proud.”

He chuckled. “I’m proud, son, but I can’t believe the both of you, with all your genius DNA, fucked up so badly with the women you are in love with.”

Fuck.

What the hell?

How did he even know about this to begin with?

“
Dad—”

“
When I got a second chance with your mom, I grabbed it and never let go. What did you do with your girl? Gave up without a fight, and now here you are drinking, working yourself into oblivion.”

That made me angry, because he had no fucking idea what I went through.

“
Dad, she doesn’t need me. She was fine until she knew who I was. Mom accepted you after all your shit, but Bella doesn’t want me. Well, the real me at least. You want me to what? Beg until she gets tired and capitulates?” I raised my hands in frustration because I didn’t understand what he wanted from me. There was no choice to make.

She didn’t want me, and as much as I loved her, I couldn’t fight it anymore. I didn’t have hope, and I was fucking tired.

“
Yes. But if you are willing to give up, then maybe you don’t deserve that girl after all.” Dad came closer and hugged me in his manly bear hug and then leaned back. His eyes clashed with mine and there was stubbornness in them. “What’s more important? Fighting for the love of your life, or listening to your pride and possibly of never being that happy again?” With one last squeeze on my shoulder, he left as fast as he came and I was left standing there dumbstruck.

Fuck.

He was right, wasn’t he? I already knew what it was like living without her, and it wasn’t a life. I wanted her; I couldn’t live without her. I could find someone else and probably be content with my life.

But I wouldn’t be as happy as I was with her in those past months.

I would fight for her.

Till the end.

I needed to get my shit together and go to her as fast as possible. I felt a vibration in my pocket that distracted me. I took out my cell and saw Drake’s name on the display.

“
Hey.”

“
Hey, little bro, what’s up?” His voice was too cheery for my liking. The fucker had it easy; his girl was right under his nose and she didn’t show him the door.

“
Not great.” What was the point of lying, right? Fuck pride.

“
That’s what I thought. Dad’s there to take your head out of your ass?”

“
You were the one who sent him? What the hell, man? Never heard of bro code before?”

“
I wasn’t aware that we had one.”

“
We should,” I grumbled and he laughed. Bastard.

“
Anyway, so since I figured you’d want to come here and, you know, get your girl back, I’m calling to inform you not to do it in the next week.”

“
What? Why?”